Bullet in Heart for Ten Years, item 4

• October 25, 2018 15:29:28 Sara Fresi

  Later on, he was transferred

  to Roehampton, where Major J.

  E. H. Roberts, a Harley Street

  stirgeon, performed one

  most remarkable operation

  the history of surgery by suc-

  cessfully removing from the

  pericardium the bullet which

  had lain there for ten years.

  By the followind month, Mr.

  O'Reilly was sufficiently

  recovered to be able to attend 

  a garden party at Buckingham

  Palace, where the Duke of Connaught

  congratulated him on

  his series of extraordinary

  escapes from death, and paid a

  tribute to the great skill of

  Major Roberts."

  The article concluded by stating

  that Mr. O'Reilly, declared

  to be the merriest patient in

  Queen Mary's Hospital, is now

  able to play football and has

  been pronunced fit to return

  home.

  I am told that he and

  another Longford youth,

  Tommy Devine, ran away from

  school to join the British army

  at Enniskillen. Devine is mentioned

  in T. P. Kilteather's

  book on the famous regiment,

  and is also included in the

  "Roll of Honour".

  I understand he took part in

  the famous mutiny of the Conaught

  Rangers in India in

  July 1920.

  Mr. O'Reilly died in 1944,

  nearly a score of years after

  the operation.

  Members of his family, in

  addition to Brendan, whom I

  have already mentioned include

  his widow, Mrs. A.

  O'Reilly; his other sons, JOHN,

  who is a linotype operator with

  the "Irish Time"; MICHAEL,

  now residing in Tasmania;

  STEPHEN, the well-known

  Longford greyhound trainer;

  and a daughter, MRS. M.

  BRADLEY, Athlone, whose late 

  husband, Mr. Charlie Bradley

  formerely played with Glasgow

  Celtic F.C. and who was later

  an officer in the defence forces.

  
  

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